Byron and Pleasant Plains, with a combined 36 20-win seasons in 42 years, harbor state baseball dreams almost every year.

They are also awash in mutual respect, with Byron playing in the Pleasant Plains tournament the last 14 years. Byron beat Pleasant Plains 3-2 this year and beat the Cardinals in the semifinals the year the Tigers finished second in the state in 1995. Now both teams are in Friday’s Class 2A semifinals at Peoria’s Dozer Park, with Pleasant Plains (29-11) playing Freeburg (30-8) at 3 p.m. and Byron (35-5) playing Westmont at 5.

“I would love nothing more, and our kids would love nothing more, than to play Pleasant Plains for the title,” Byron coach Ray Bielskis said. “If we were to pick how we want to write our story, it would be to play Pleasant Plains for the title.”

Both contended last year. Pleasant Plains lost 10-1 to Lisle in the state title game and Byron lost in extra innings to Big Northern rival Oregon in the sectional finals after leading by two runs with one strike to go.

But Byron also has to get past a third team that has been a threat to win state for two years. Westmont (27-7) beat Lisle twice in the regular season a year ago when it won it’s first Interstate Eight conference title before getting upset in its first playoff game in the regional semifinals. After watching Lisle win state, the Sentinels came back this year to break the school record of 23 wins and repeat as Interstate Eight champs.

“We were kicking ourselves,” coach D.J. Cocks said. “We knew we had a great opportunity. Seeing Lisle do it last year motivated us. We beat a state champion twice. We knew the road was set up for us this year, and we didn’t want to ruin it.”

Byron had the same attitude. Bielskis talked “about the 1995 team from Day 1” and had former coach Dale Hartman and four 1995 players give the Tigers a pep talk the night before their 10-inning, 3-2 super sectional win over Sherrard. The Tigers said all along they had big goals, but wouldn’t voice those goals publicly. Now they are talking.

“We’re not satisfied just getting there,” Bielskis said. “I’m not saying we’re going to win it, but that’s our goal, to win it. We’ve kept it a secret long enough.”

Left-hander Nate Peterson (12-0, 1.23 ERA, 95 strikeouts) is expected to throw again after going all 10 innings Monday, plus getting the last four outs Saturday and throwing six innings last Thursday. Fellow left-hander Dan Lowe (8-1, 1.93 ERA, 81 strikeouts) will throw if Peterson has to be held back a day.

Both teams rely on pitching and defense. Byron has allowed seven runs in five playoff games, but an offense led by Jack Fleeger (.443), Austin Carlson (.409) and Tyler Nunez (.393) has been inconsistent.

But that’s still better than Westmont’s offense.

The Sentinels struck out 12 times and were no-hit in super sectionals Monday, but won when Moran allowed only a pair of bloop singles and they used a walk, a bunt, a throwing error and an RBI groundout by Michigan recruit Charlie Donovan to scratch out two runs in the fifth.

“The offense has to show up in some of these games,” Cocks said. “Both teams have great pitching and defense to get to this point. Now we need to score runs to get some breathing room.”

“We’ve just got to hit,” Bielskis said. “If we hit, good things are going to happen to us.”